IoT App Store With Smart Device Mapping for Cross-Vendor Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing IoT devices are limited to manufacturer-supplied software, offering only a predefined set of capabilities, and diverse devices from different manufacturers cannot easily operate together to perform useful functions.
Innovation Solution
An IoT application store providing a digital marketplace service that allows users to browse, select, and install IoT applications, automatically map inputs and outputs to devices, and support automatic updating and virtual deployment, enabling diverse IoT devices to work together and extend their capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manufacturer-supplied software is used on IoT devices, then device functionality is limited to predefined capabilities, but device complexity and vendor lock-in increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cloud-based platform as an intermediary between IoT devices and users. This platform provides a unified interface for managing diverse IoT devices from multiple manufacturers, enabling flexible software installation and coordination without increasing on-device complexity. The cloud platform handles the complexity of device communication protocols and data formats centrally.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal software marketplace that allows installation of applications from various vendors on IoT devices regardless of manufacturer. The platform provides standardized APIs and data formats that enable different device types to work together through common interfaces, breaking vendor lock-in while maintaining device-specific hardware capabilities.
2Adaptability or versatility
If diverse IoT devices from different manufacturers are integrated, then system versatility improves, but device compatibility and interoperability issues increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements standardized data formats and communication parameters as a foundation for device integration. By establishing common protocols for data exchange and device identification, the system enables reliable interoperability between diverse manufacturers while maintaining device-specific characteristics through configurable parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The cloud-based platform serves as an intermediary layer that translates between different device protocols and data formats. It provides protocol translation, data normalization, and communication routing functions that enable diverse IoT devices to interoperate reliably without requiring direct peer-to-peer compatibility.
3Ease of operation
If automatic device assignment is implemented, then installation ease improves, but user control and customization options decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary device discovery and capability detection during installation, where the system automatically identifies available devices and their capabilities before assignment. This preliminary action enables the system to make intelligent auto-assignment decisions based on pre-collected device information, balancing ease of installation with informed user choices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a dynamic installation process where users can switch between automatic and manual assignment modes based on their needs. The system adapts its behavior based on user input, device availability, and installation context, allowing flexible control over the assignment process while maintaining simplicity as the default option.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are system, method and/or computer program product embodiments, and/or combinations and sub-combinations thereof for implementing an Internet of Things (IoT) application store. An embodiment provides a digital marketplace service and a smart installation service. The digital marketplace service enables a user to browse a plurality of IoT applications and select one for installation. The smart installation service determines an input or an output of the selected IoT application, selectively assigns a first IoT device in a set of IoT devices associated with the user to the input or the output, and installs an instance of the selected IoT application on one or more devices that comprise or are communicatively connected to the first IoT device, wherein the installing comprises configuring the instance of the selected IoT application to obtain the input from the first IoT device or provide the output to the first IoT device.